Selection of promising accessions of phalsa (Grewia asiatica L.) based on fruit‐related traits

Abstract Phalsa or falsa (Grewia asiatica L., family Malvaceae) is a promising, yet underutilized berry fruit of tropical regions. It contains a rich source of various bioactive compounds, such as anthocyanins, tannins, phenols, and flavonoids. In the present study, morphological and pomological diversity of 48 accessions of this species was evaluated to introduce superior selections. Considerable variability was detected among the accessions studied based on the characteristics recorded. Fruit shape exhibited the highest CV (69.66%), while seed length showed the lowest CV (7.98%). Fruit color showed strong diversity, including red, red‐purple, purple‐cream, purple, and dark purple. Fruit weight ranged from 0.29 to1.14 g, and fruit flesh thickness varied from 1.90 to 3.91 mm. Principal component analysis (PCA) showed that 82.64% of the variability observed was explained by the first 13 components. A dendrogram created using cluster analysis grouped the accessions into two major clusters. Based on the traits related to fruit quality, such as fruit weight, fruit color, fruit flesh color, and fruit taste, 14 accessions, including Talsar‐6, Talsar‐8, Ganjabad‐31, Talsar‐4, Ganjabad‐18, Ganjabad‐24, Talsar‐5, Ganjabad‐25, Ganjabad‐30, Ganjabad‐17, Talsar‐7, Talsar‐3, Talsar‐2, and Talsar‐1, were superior. It is recommended to use the best accessions selected in breeding programs.

during summer. Leaves are utilized as animal food, bark as substitute cleanser in Burma, and adhesive concentrate of bark is utilized in sugar. Fiber acquired from the bark is utilized to make twines (Paul, 2015). Wood can be used for making bows, shingles, and shafts for conveying loads on shoulders (Yadav, 1999).
Characterization of crop genetic resources is an essential step to develop conservation and breeding strategies in crop improvement programs. Germplasm characterization usually comprise of a detailed description of accessions for morphological and agronomic traits, as well as other useful attributes. Quantitative and qualitative phenotypic traits aid in identifying differences between individuals of a species (Achigan-Dako et al., 2015). Quantitative traits are measurable characteristics and are generally controlled by multiple genes and highly influenced by the environment. Conversely, qualitative traits have categorical values and are categorized as binary or multi-categorical (defined by several categories or classes), and are controlled by single dominant or recessive genes and less influenced by the environment (Szamosi et al., 2009). Morphological characteristics are prerequisite for any food product and provide useful information regarding designing and development of equipment used during various unit operations, such as handling, transportation, sorting, separating, packing, and processing of fruits (Yildiz et al., 2015). The phenotypic diversity of G. asiatica has not been investigated in Iran yet. Therefore, the objective of the present study was to assess the phenotypic diversity of this species to select desirable accessions with suitable agronomic and horticultural traits for direct production, breeding, and conservation.

| Plant material
The morphological and pomological diversity of 48 accessions of G.
asiatica was evaluated to introduce superior selections from two areas of Sistan-va-Baluchestan province, Iran, including Ganjabad and Talsar.

| The characters evaluated
Forty-four morphological and pomological traits were used to evaluate phenotypic diversity and select superior accessions (

| Statistical analysis
Analysis of variance (ANOVA) was performed to evaluate the variation among accessions based on the traits measured using SAS software (SAS Institute, Cary, NC, USA, 1990). Simple correlations between traits were determined using Pearson correlation coefficients (SPSS Inc., Chicago, IL, USA, Norusis, 1998). Principal component analysis (PCA) was used to investigate the relationship between accessions and determine the main traits effective in accession segregation using SPSS software. Hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA) was performed using Ward's method and Euclidean coefficient using PAST software (Hammer et al., 2001). The first and second principal components (PC1/PC2) were used to create a scatter plot with PAST software. Tree growth habit Weeping (20) Spreading (19) Open (9) --Tree growth vigor Low (7) Moderate (19) High (22) --
Seed number per fruit was 1-3 (Table 1). Bala and Baramanray (2019b) reported the range of 1-2 seeds per fruit in a dwarf phalsa accession. The range of seed-related characteristics was as follows: seed length: 4.71-6.51 mm, seed width: 3.94-6.09 mm, and total weight of seeds: 0.04-0.11 g (Table 1)  The PCA used showed that 82.64% of the variability observed was explained by the first 13 components ( Table 3). The PC1, PC2, and PC3 accounted for 11.04%, 8.64%, and 7.18% of the variability, respectively (26.86% in total). The PC1, which is the most important component, was correlated with fruit shape, fruit length, fruit width, fruit weight, fruit flesh thickness, and fruit juice color. Moreover, the characteristics with the greatest weight on PC2 were leaf length, leaf width, and petiole length. The PC3 was correlated with fruit flesh firmness, seed length, seed width, and total weight of seeds.
The PCA provided a simplified classification of the accessions for collecting and breeding. The bi-plot axes, created based on PC1 and PC2, which accounted for 19.68% of total variance, showed phenotypic distances among the accessions that reflected similarity and dissimilarity among them in terms of the variables measured ( Figure 2). The accessions were distributed into four sides of the plot. The scatter plot showed that residuals of all the accessions bounce randomly around the 0.00 line, forming a horizontal band.
This suggests that the variances of the error terms are equal and the relationship among the accessions is linear.
Also, the dendrogram created using cluster analysis grouped the accessions into two major clusters (Figure 3). The first cluster (I) was divided into two sub-clusters. Sub-cluster I-A contained nine accessions, while 16 accessions formed sub-cluster I-B. Furthermore, the second cluster (II) was divided into two sub-clusters. Sub-cluster II-A included eight accessions, while sub-cluster II-B consisted of 15 accessions. The derived clusters and sub-clusters were similar to those identified from the bi-plot.
Understanding the nature and amount of variability present in the genotypes of crops might be useful in improvement of traits of existing germplasm, which could be used in breeding programs of that crop. Furthermore, this kind of evaluation will provide information about uniqueness and distinctness of genotypes, which is of vital importance in optimal and effective conservation of genotypic variability (Dev et al., 2017).

| CON CLUS ION
Phalsa (G. asiatica) fruit has shown tremendous potential as a traditional, as well as functional food ingredient for formulating innovative beverages, and food preserves. Currently, the fruit is mostly used in traditional product formulation at cottage scale, or even at household scale. However, there is a huge potential for this important berry fruit to become an effective functional food with little efforts on improving its crop yield and developing a suitable cold supply chain for ensuring a safe supply to distant markets.
Moreover, this berry fruit can also be effectively applied in various pharmaceutical applications, such as pain-relief drugs, digestive aids, and drugs for controlling the glycemic index. Very short shelf life, seasonal availability, lack of awareness among people, and meager scientific literature are some major challenges associated with the commercial exploitation of phalsa fruit. Morphological attributes will provide important criteria for quality control of any fruit during sorting, grading handling, and processing operations.
The present findings will be very helpful in the selection of best cultivars for further research work as well as to the consumption of fruit and food processing industries. Based on the traits related to fruit quality, such as fruit weight, fruit color, fruit flesh II-A II I color, and fruit taste, 14 accessions, including Talsar-6, Talsar-8,  Talsar-2, and Talsar-1, were superior. It is recommended to use the best accessions selected in breeding programs.

ACK N OWLED G M ENT
None.

FU N D I N G I N FO R M ATI O N
None.

CO N FLI C T O F I NTE R E S T
The authors declare no conflict of interest.

DATA AVA I L A B I L I T Y S TAT E M E N T
The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.

E TH I C S S TATEM ENT
Research involving Human Participants and/or Animals: None.

I N FO R M E D CO N S E NT
None.